Those who knew him, above al monks, will find Dom Anselme Le Bail again in these pages with warm gratitude. Those who have not known him will encounter his vital and original character. Both of these will be surprised and come to admire a man and a monk who has integrated a healthy humanism into a concrete ideal of his religious vocation.

Fr. Dieudonne Dufrasne, a Benedictine monk of Saint Andre de Clerlande, has read, listened to, and allowed the young man, Anselme Le Bail, the monk, and finally the Cistercian Abbot of Scourmont, to speak for himself in these pages. He has the ability to allow us, in turn, to hear and understand the joys and difficulties of alive totally dedicated to God and to his brothers.